The nylon/plastic material is a lot harder and stiffer. This means they don't suffer from the whippiness issues that the Knight shop ones do. However, it also means they hit a lot harder. If you want a relatively safe trainer for longsword, stick with KS. If you want something closer to steel, without paying the price of steel, go Black Fencer. I can't see us as a club moving over to Black Fencer longswords. The KS are a safe option for people getting started, and steel feders are better for intermediate and advanced work when people have got their kit sorted. But these sabres seem to be great, definitely looking to order a load more.
